Shock-absorber.



S, W; FORD.

SHOCK ABSORBER.

APPLICATION HLED JULY 1 Pa tefitsd May 28., i918 115% fg aw thefollowing is a s with parts odd. Y

SHELLEY W. FORD,

JENNINGS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHOCK-ABSORBER.

menses.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May28, 11918.

Application filed July 12, 1917. Serial No. 180,062.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Snnrmv W. FORD, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and usefu Improvements in Shock-Absorbers, of whichecification.

The invention re ates to shock absorbers for vehicles and moreparticularlyforautomobiles. The improvement seeks to provide a simpleand efl'ective construction'which can be readily applied to automobilesnow in,

use and the invention consists in the features or improvementhereinafter-set forth, illus' wally. I t should be noted that thehorizontal trated in the preferred form in the accom panying drawing andmore particularly.

pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure. l'is an elevation of a portion of a vehiclespring and a wheel axle casing with the improved shock ab: sorberapplied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side view otFig. =1. Fig. 3 is a detailsection on the line 3-'3 of Fig. 2. i

The improved shock absorber is adapted to be interposed between avehicle spring and a member which supports or is supported by thesprings. In the construction shown, a bracket 1 is fixed to the enlargedend 2 of the axle casin 3.- In. the constructions now in use, a vehicle,spring leaf 4 extends parallel to the axle and is supported from thebracket 1 by a swinging link. The present improved shock absorber isadapted to be substituted for the link 'or swinging connection in suchconstructions.

' The end of the spring 4. engages a horizontal pivot boltv or stud 5which is carried by a horizontal member 6. A horizontal member 7 isconnected to the upper end of the bracket 1 liy a horizontal pivot orstud 8. The ends of the members 6 and 7 are forked to engage pairs ofconnecting levers and links.

In the preferred form shown, a pair of oppositely disposed bell cranklevers are pivotally connected to the forked ends of the member 7 bystuds 9, these bell crank levers being provided with upwardly orcjectingarms 10 and downwardly projecting .arms 11. Links 12 arepivotallyconnected to the lower forked ends of the lever arms 11 and to theforked ends of the member 6 studs 13. The upwardly projecting lever arms10 are connected by a heavy, shock abshown in section on the line 2-2the supporting bracket 1 and vehicle sorbing spring 14: which resiststhe verti al movement of the spring engaging'member 6.

. Preferably engaging member 6 will draw the lower lever arms togetherand spread the upper lever 10 against the tension of the spring 1a. Inthis .Way, the spring 14c tends to check the movepivots 9 and 13 of'thelevers and links are arranged to permit the vertical movement of themember 6 and of the end of the vehicle spring supported thereby, andthat the axes of these pivots are at right-angles to the axes of-thepivots 5, and 8 which permit the horizontal movement of member (Sand theend ofthe vehicle spring. That is to say, spring 4 are connected by alinkage having two sets of pivots arranged at right angles, one of whichpermits the horizontal movement of the end of thes ring and the otherthe vertical movement tliereof and the shock absorbing spring 14: tendsto check the vertical movement. The construction thus not only acts as ashock absorber, but also as a swinging shackle for the vehicle spring.To limit the horizontal movement, the bracket 1 is preferably providedwith a projecting stop I or rib 15. It is, of'course, understood that ashock absorbing device is provided at each end of the spring 4.

Changes may be made in the details set forth without departure from theessentials of the invention as defined in the claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a shock absorber, the combination with a bracket and a vehiclespring, a pair of oppositely disposed levers pivoted to said bracket,links (connecting said levers to the end of said vehicle spring, and aspring connecting said levers for resisting the vertical movement of theend of said vehicle spring.

2. In a shock absorber, the combination with a bracket and avehiclespring, of apair of oppositely disposed bell crank levers pivotallymounted on said bracket, links connecting the lower arms of said bellcrank lovers to the end of said vehicle spring and the parts are soarranged that. with a normal load the links 12 will be sublstantiallyhorizontal so that eitheran upward or a downward movement ofthe spring bers, a pair of opposed levers pivotaliy cona springconnecting the upper arms o;E said levers.

3. In a shock absorber, the combination with a bracket and a vehiclespring, of a connecting linkage between said parts having two sets ofpivots arranged at right angles to permit the horizontal and verticalmovements respectively of the end of said vehicle spring, and a shockabsorbing spring connected to said linkage for resisting the verticalmovement of the end of said vehicle spring.

4. In a shock absorber, the combination with a bracket and a vehiclespring, of two members pivotally mounted respectively on said bracketand the end of said spring, two, separate opposed levers pivoted to oneof said members to swing to and from each other, links connecting saidlevers to the other of said members and a spring connecting said leversfor resisting the vertical movement of the end of said vehicle spring,the pivoted connections between said members, said bracket and saidvehicle spring being arranged to permit the horizontal movement of theend of said vehicle spring.

5. In a shock absorber, the combination with a bracket and a vehiclespring, of two members horizontally pivoted respectively to said bracketand to the end of said spring, a pair of opposed levers pivoted to saidbracket engaging member, links pivotally connected to said levers and tosaid springengaging member, the pivotal axes of said levers and linksbeing at right angles to the pivotalaxes of said'members and a springconnecting said levers for resisting the ver tical movement of saidspring-engaging member. I

6. A shock absorber comprising two memnected to one of said members,links pivotally connected to said levers and to the other of saidmembers, a shock-absorbing spring CODHGCUHQ' said levers and pivotsarranged a plane at right angles to said vehicle spring, connectionsbetween said levers and the other of said parts and a spring connectingsaid levers for resisting the vertical movement of said vehicle spring.

8. In a shock absorber, the combination with a vehicle spring and asupported member, of two, separate, bell crank levers both pivoted onone of said parts to swing in a plane at right angles to said vehiclespring, links connecting one arm of each of said levers to the other ofsaid parts and a spring connecting the other arms of said levers forresisting the movement of said vehicle spring.

, 9. In a shock absorbing shackle for vehicle springs, the combinationwith a vehicle spring and a supported part, of two members pivotallymounted respectively on said part and the end of said vehicle spring,two separate opposed levers both pivoted on one of said members to swingto and from each other in a plane at right angles to said vehiclespring,,links connecting said lever arms and the other of said members,and a spring connecting said levers for resisting the vertical movementof the end of said vehicle spring, the pivotal mounting of said membersbeing arranged to permit the hori zontal movement of the end of saidvehicle spring. I SHELLEY, W. FORD.

